The number 15 jersey has been worn by some of the world’s best players over the years.
From sturdy ex-Manchester United center back Nemanja Vidic.
To as recently as Heung Min Son who since changed to number seven after formerly wearing number 15.
One thing is for sure there isn’t a shortage of top-quality footballers who wear the shirt and in this post, we will be going through 7 of the best right now to be taking to the field in it.
Table of Contents
1) Ainsley Maitland Niles – Arsenal
Some people may have forgotten that Maitland Niles wears 15 for Arsenal, due to the lack of game time the youngster has.
A busy off-season at Arsenal, saw many players come in making it tough for players like Ainsley to establish a spot in Arteta’s first team.
Nonetheless, the Englishman is someone who has a lot of potential and is quite versatile.
This was shown through his successful loan spell at West Brom in 2020/21 where he played mostly as a center midfielder, as opposed to the full-back he was normally found playing at Arsenal.
For Ainsley, there is a player in there, and he has shown he can compete at the top level, its just a matter of him getting more game time so he can grow.
2) Eric Dier – Tottenham Hotspur
Eric Dier chose shirt number 15 when he first joined Tottenham in 2014, since then he has kept the number over his 7-year spell.
While a lot of the attention is on players like Kane and Son, Dier deserves plaudits too for being a solid member of the squad since joining.
Dier spent his few years playing in that holding defensive role, however, most recently has switched to playing at centre back alongside Cristian Romero.
The player who also speaks Portuguese from his time growing up in Lisbon, will also famously be known for netting the winning penalty in a world cup quarterfinal shootout against Columbia for England back in 2018.
3) Federico Valverde – Real Madrid
Federico Valverde has had a strong rise to prominence at both club Real Madrid and for country Uruguay.
The Uruguayan is the complete midfielder, possessing both defensive and attacking qualities. He has incredible energy levels and always finds a way to get the ball back from his opposition.
The scary thing is that he is only 23, and has the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the world, in years to come as he is already showing his class at a young age from one of the best clubs in the world.
Real Madrid has recognized this and has shown how much they value him by giving a contract extension of 6 years, which will see him most likely continue wearing the 15 shirt for the Los Blancos until 2027.
4) Matts Hummels – Borussia Dortmund
A leader and great reader of the game, Matt Hummels is a player who has been a reliable center back for many years in Germany.
Unlike some players though who stick to one number, Hummels who has spent his whole career up to now playing for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich has found himself wearing different numbers over a couple of spells at each club
Starting his career at Bayern coming through the youth system he was given the number 32 shirt before moving to Dortmund in 2009 where he was given 15.
Hummels then went back to Bayern Munich in 2016 where he was given 5, the same number he played in for the German national team.
In 2016, he made another move back to Borussia Dortmund, where he was given his number 15 shirt which he has during his first spell and is the one he has remained with ever since.
5) Clement Lenglet – Barcelona
After Clement Lenglet signed for Barcelona from Sevilla, he was given the number 15 shirt.
The Frenchman is a composed ball-playing defender, who reads the game well and can the ball around well, which works for Barcelona’s system.
However, despite being purchased for £35 million, Lenglet hasn’t had many opportunities to wear his number 15 jersey of late, due to a combination of knee injuries and falling out of favor with Koeman.
6) Danilo Periera – PSG
Danilo Periera is a Portuguese international playing in France for PSG who plays primarily as a center defensive midfielder but can also do a job as a center half.
A physical presence on the pitch, he left FC Porto after 6 years, due to a clause in the contract with PSG was triggered, meaning the Parisians needed to go through and pay 20 million euros for him.
The player is a quality squad member with him most recently playing 23 games in France for 2021, chipping in with 2 goals.
He has great physical attributes and notably a high passing completion of high into the ’90s.
7) Alex Oxlade Chamberlain – Liverpool
When Alex Oxlade Chamberlain moved from Southampton to Arsenal in 2011, he didn’t just switch clubs but he went to number 15 from 26, one that he has kept with ever since to this day with Liverpool.
The now 28-year-old has experienced an up and down career so far, with a combination of injuries and struggling to keep the first-team place holding him back.
Now at Liverpool, while injuries have still been present, footballing fans are seeing more of him, with him also having the freedom to express his ability within the Germans system.
Conclusion
As you can see there are many very good footballers within the top leagues, who have chosen to wear the number 15.
What do you think about the list? Are there any other players who wear number 15 that should be on it?
Let me know in the comments down below 🙂
If you’re interested in learning more about footballers numbers you can also check out these other posts:
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